LIKE any other town they have names, such as Grawin, Glengarry and Sheepyards. But you don't find them listed on any official map. These are the unofficial shanty towns popping up in a dry, remote corner of NSW on the back of opal fever. Thousands of people are being lured to the Lightning Ridge region in the hope of striking it rich at the only place in the world with the coveted black opal. Many residents rough it and live how their pioneering ancestors would have, with no running water or lights, and dirt-covered floors. They use old-fashioned picks and shovels to dig for opals underground by candlelight. Others have all the mod cons that come with electricity as they use generators or solar panels to power washing machines, mining equipment and even televisions. Related Coverage Gallery: Lightning Ridge opal mine NSW Tourism: Outback wonders inspiring Remote: Rich life in opal shanty town Outback: Miners want tax breaks to lure workers Tax: Small miners rocked by 'confusing' levy Fourth generation miner Kim Botfield, who has been working underground since 1985, lives in what he calls an "environmental green house" that runs on solar energy. His home is one of the most established in town with its own water tanks, backyard clothesline, washing machine, hot water system and garage. The only thing it doesn't power-up are heavy duty power tools. Like everyone else in town, he is drawn to opal mining, which he likens to gambling. "Some people are addicted to gambling and some are addicted to opal mining. You are always looking for a better deal," Mr Botfield said. "It's also a gamble because no one pays us. We are bona fide dirt diggers 90 per cent of the time, who pay to go to work." But like most in the fields, Mr Botfield remains tight-lipped about his finds. "When people ask me how I go, I say I've had my fair share of luck and fair share of dry patches just like anyone else," he said. On the other side of town, Pat Ellis sits down to a beer at his local the Club In The Scrub and declares: "This is the life. I've lived in many in places but it's the people and alternative lifestyle that I love here. "You have to provide for yourself. You have to be a mechanic, a plumber and an electrician - I get great satisfaction out of doing those things." In the 40 years Mr Ellis has been mining on and off, he admits he hasn't struck the big one yet but has managed to make a living. "It's like a lottery, you've got to get the right bit of ground and dig in the right place," he said. While many live modestly, some own fancy houses thousands of kilometres away near the beach to where they retreat in the warmer months when temperatures reach more than 40C. Nearly everyone has a landline telephone, there is a post office, public toilets, three licensed pubs, a general store and there is even a nine-hole golf course. THERE are no street names or letter boxes and there isn't an Olympic-size pool yet, but the residents pay rates to nearby councils for a garbage collection service and to use facilities that are up to 100km away. A maze of roads more like goat tracks with speed limit signs cover acres of mining and agricultural land that lead to makeshift shift shacks or opal claims. The typical story of most residents is they arrived 25 years ago for a holiday and never left because of the pull of the "rainbow rock". There are people from all walks of life living in the communities from solicitors, doctors, accountants and tradesmen to coal miners and school teachers, who travel to the nearby towns to teach through the week. More than two years ago, 67-year-old Ken Westbrook, who had just been mining for 12 years, struck the jackpot and went into the Guinness Book Of Records for finding the largest black opal weighing 11,340.95 carats, worth $4 million. "When I found it I thought it was a bit of potch, then I saw the colour and knew I had something," Mr Westbrook said. One long-time resident said: "Some of us look like rugged characters but you could be standing next to a millionaire and not know it." Print Email
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